


Scarlet Skies

by Aiofhan



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Also maybe some OCs, Alternate Universe - Superheroes/Superpowers, M/M, Minor Violence, Not in like the marvel universe or anything like that though, Slow Burn, This is my first fic so I hope you like it
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-01-02
Updated: 2018-01-02
Packaged: 2019-02-27 09:59:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,147
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13245840
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Aiofhan/pseuds/Aiofhan
Summary: Lance had been living for 21 years with no knowledge of Superheroes.Apparently, life was full of surprises.





	Scarlet Skies

**Author's Note:**

> Happy New Year!
> 
> As you can tell by the tags, this is my first fic ever. I hope you guys like it. I've been thinking about writing this for god knows how long and I finally did. I'm quite pleased with how it came together, but any constructive criticism will be so much appreciated. 
> 
> Anyways, I hope you enjoy.

The sun was dazzling on the cold Friday morning, with Lance’s misty breath and squinting eyes highlighting the contrast of the March weather. Lance was carefully watching as the bus driver took the last drags of his cigarette with slow, careful precision; seemingly oblivious to the pressuring looks that Lance was sending him.

‘Perhaps,’ Lance thought, ‘I should right an email to his company, saying something like “Your bus driver’s continuous lack of timekeeping and carelessness of other people’s lives keeps meaning I’m losing an hour’s pay for lateness”.

Or I could start walking. I mean it should start getting warmer.’ 

Just as that thought came into Lance’s head, the bus driver sighed and ambled towards the bus, emphasising the pain that each step took towards the inevitable monotony of the circuit and the agony it would cause him.

‘You and me both,’ Lance thought bitterly as he climbed on board and took a seat near the back. ‘You and me both.’

It’s not really that Lance hated his job even that much. His job was easy. That was the problem really; he was bored. Everyday he would go to work the same job with the same people and the same regulars, come home smelling like coffee beans and know that the next say the same thing would happen. Is this what is life really all about? He remembered from school that Buddhism taught all suffering comes from desire. Clearly, they hadn’t felt absolute boredom because every day he felt himself falling more and more into a rut that could never he returned from. 

A rut that started from the very place that Lance exited the bus from. He was lucky, in a way, to work in a building right next to a bus stop. He supposed that is why he continued to put up with bus drivers bullshit, out of convenience. The coffee shop ahead of him was modern, but was already starting to feel the wear of an owner that payed little care from restoration of the building, with stains on the chairs outside and windows that Lance knew where stiff to open at the best of times. 

Lance worked in a chain of 5 different cafes, all owned by the same person, who Lance had never met, but who Cindy (his manager) had explained in vivid detail was a complete tool who had no reason to be running a garden, let alone a business chain. Lance thinks his name might be Billy, but honestly, he could not care less, it wasn’t his problem if Billy or whoever decided to be a complete cheapskate when it came to business care and was a dick to his employees. He doubted he would ever rise far enough in the shop to ever meet the man either.

Sighing Lance walked into the shop and painted a winning smile onto his face, hoping that it would lessen the blow of whatever would be said about his lateness. Putting his things in the back, he saw Cindy and waved at her, giving her a cheery, ‘Morning, how was the evening? Weren’t you with the fiancé at a fancy restaurant last night? I can image that was amazing!’

‘You’re late Lance by 5 minutes; I’m sorry but I’m going to have to dock you an hour’s pay, you know the rules. Don’t try to distract me from that by asking about Brian, but,’ She smiled, ‘yes, he took me to one of those fancy restaurants in Birmingham, French I think. Brian wore one of those black suits that make any man look a thousand times fitter. You know the ones. He was a piece and a half, you should have seen him.’

‘I can imagine,’ Lance said, carefully setting up the milk and sugar for the day ahead. Cindy laid out the pastries and cakes that were to be sold today, placing the ones that were from the day before at the front and the freshest at the back, as was policy. Lance knew that Julia, would take some of the ones that were at the back and eat them when she got home. He thinks Cindy knows as well, but Lance doesn’t think she particularly cares; it’s not her who’s paying for them and if Julia wants to get caught then it’s up to her. Julia’s like that, a rebel. A rebel, who Cindy informs him will be coming in at 10 and closing.

‘Perfect’, Lance thinks to himself. He finally has the chance to ask the girl out, just him and her. There was a glitter night going on at the local club, ‘Fever Pitch’ and, if Julia’s make-up was anything to go by, she would totally be up for getting covered in sparkles. Lance was thinking that they could pre-drink at ‘Spoons, then head over to the club, do some dancing and see where the night takes them. It wasn’t the most romantic date, but it was a start. A start was all Lance needed. He knew he could work his way into Julia’s heart through carefully placed jokes, compliments and eye contact. 

Yeah, he could do this.

 

***

 

Julia arrived 5 minutes before her shift, and spent the extra time texting in the back, before putting on an apron and sauntering behind one of the cashier’s desk where she would stay for the next couple of hours. She had darker skin than both Cindy and Lance, with Lance always being jealous of how smooth she could keep it. It really wasn’t fair as she was still a teenager at 19; weren’t they supposed to be pimply? He doubted her skin had ever even had one spot. Julia could have been a model, with her perfect skin, slim figure and tall stature, but she said that the modelling industry help to pressure women into an ideal while simultaneously degrading those who match it. That and when she had gone to an interview with a modelling agency they had asked her to dye her hair from blue into a more natural colour; it was a deal breaker. Lance understood why honestly, with her cornrows being something that had first attracted him to her.

While she talked to customers, Lance made the drinks. Mostly people wanted basic lattes, coffee or tea, but sometimes people would ask for more complicated drinks that he had no choice but to make. He silently cursed Starbucks for making every independent café have to reach their standard of choice. After about 45 minutes he saw that line had died down and Julia was watching him with a small smile on her face. He winked at her, causing her to roll her eyes and say:

‘I don’t know how one person can cause such a fucking mess? At this point you are just doing it to piss me off?’

‘Yeah that’s right, everything is about you. You are the only thing I think about, at night I go to sleep thinking “how am I going to get Jules’ attention.”’

She laughed at that, ‘Honestly, I wouldn’t put anything past you.’

‘So, Jules, I was thinking…’

‘That’s always dangerous.’

He chose to ignore that. ‘You know how Fever’s sometimes has themed nights on, well there’s one going on tonight and I was thinking you, me, cheap drinks.’ He gave her a winning smile. ‘What could go wrong?’

‘So much, so much could go wrong.’

‘That’s not a no.’

As he says that she comes very close to him and says, ‘no, I suppose it’s not’, before leaving to go clean some tables. She throws a look over her shoulders at him as she leaves and Lance smiles.

This day was already looking up. 

 

***

 

Lance left work feeling pretty good about himself. He had a kind of date with Julia, hadn’t messed up anyone’s order today and at the end of the shift he had even made Cindy laugh so hard she had almost cried. Today had been an alright day. So good in fact, he felt the need to even challenge his good luck with a visit to his father’s.

The thing is, Lance’s dad was… weird. He made Lance uncomfortable. Him and Lance’s mum had never got married but they had been together all through Lance’s childhood. It was really Camila that had cause the break-up of the family and his dad to start spiral. 

Lance had been 13 at the time, Camila was 19. He remembers her always arguing with their parents, though, he couldn’t say what about. He never got the courage to ask his mum. It doesn’t really matter anyway. What matters is that she left one day. Packed her things and went. He came downstairs one morning to his father shouting at mum, telling her that she was the reason that she left, that she pushed her to this, that he had lost his only daughter. 

He stopped going to work after that. Then he started drinking more and more. His father had always drunk, but this was different, he wouldn’t come home for days and when he was home, he would start fights with Lance’s mum, calling her all sorts of names that would make Lance squirm in his seat. His mum gave it back to him as well. Lance started to dread the days that he was home, because it would mean that he would have to listen to them shouting each other into oblivion. At night, he would sit there in his room, comforting little Sammy and Isaac until they both feel asleep. Lance stayed awake, listening; the fights were rarely even about Camila, more about the shit the two of them had done to one another. Lance hated it. 

He assumes that his mum also hated the fights too, because one day, when Lance was packing to go to school, she gave him a key saying that she had changed the locks. After that his dad couldn’t get in. After that everything went back to normal.

His dad was gone for about 6 months before they got back in contact with each other. It seemed that the distance between them not only helped both of them, but helped their relationship. They’re friends now. Mum even introduced his dad to Mia, who he eventually married. Mia was cool. She was a make-up artist who mum had gone to school with; she would sometimes even test looks out on him which he couldn’t help but like. She always says he has the right face for it, nothing like his dad’s. She’s the one that had given him eye liner he wore sometimes and was the one that pushed him to wear more blue tones; it brought out his eyes apparently. 

She wasn’t the problem that he had with his dad, like he said his dad was weird. Or at least weird with him. Lance thinks he’s worried that Lance will leave just like Camila and wants to prevent this by psychoanalysing him for any trance of discontent. Every time he sees him, it’s always the same:

‘How’s work? Are you happy there? It must not be as stimulating as you want? I can try and get you a job at those offices on London Road if you want? Are you sure? I heard that some of them are breaking new ground in call centre services.’

Or even worse:

‘Have you got a girlfriend yet? You know it’s not good for a young boy like yourself to go this long without someone? I read something in ‘The Sun’ that said a lack of sex is what turns people towards violence. Or are you a gay? You know I would never judge you. Mike’s son’s gay you know, maybe I should set you two up? Although, I’ve heard that when he’s drunk, he tends to get into fights, so I suppose that wouldn’t help with the violence.’

Lance remembers how his father was before, so carefree. Now every time he talks to him, he seems to be looking for problems that he can fix. Lance knew that he shouldn’t complain but it just… freaked him out a little. God knows though, that it was better than the alternative. When Lance was 18, he had had enough of the constant badging and decided to focus on himself instead of making his father happy. Within two months, his mother had shouted at him 18 times for ignoring his father’s calls and practically made him go visit. Then the conversation had gotten even worse with his father assuming Lance had gone to hospital or something; apparently Lance’s mum had a tenancy to keep things from him. 

Safe to say, Lance had no choice but to go see his father. Otherwise, there might be World War Three between Maria McClain and Robert Sanchez. 

 

***

 

As Lance entered the Sanchez household, he firstly noticed the toys thrown across the floor. Carefully picking them up, he entered the living room where he placed them into a toy box that was next to the sofa. The room was small, but cosy, with photos of Mia and his dad’s wedding on the mantle piece as well as a large picture of the whole family (Mia, Robert and their daughter, Katie) in one of those white background photoshoots, which was placed proudly on display above the TV. 

‘Robbie, is that you?’ Came a call from the level above.

‘’Fraid not.’

‘Lance,’ said the voice, and footsteps started down the stairs. ‘Lance, I did not know that you were coming over. Aw, the house is so untidy.’ Mia walked in and hugged him tightly. ‘You should warn me before next time, Mała świnka.’ Mia says it’s what her mother used to call her when she was younger and thinks it’s hilarious that Lance doesn’t know what it means.

‘Vieja, don’t call me that,’ Lance said, smiling down at her.

‘I will call you what I like. Would you like a drink?’ She said going into the kitchen.

‘Tea.’ Lance replied following her. 

‘Milk and 3 sugars?’

‘Please. Do you have any of the carrot cake left? The one you made last week?’

Mia gave him a stern look, ‘You know, girls hate boys come to their houses and eat all their food. I doubt boys like it either. How do you expect to find anyone if you act so unattractive?’

‘I’ll take that as a no then.’

‘No, no, I’ll get it for you. God knows your father doesn’t have a sweet tooth, so I suppose someone will have to eat it. Lance, do me a favour and check on Katie. She’s upstairs in her room. I’ll bring these up to you,’ she said as she started to rummage in the fridge.

‘Sure thing,’ he said, smiling and running up the stairs.

He stopped at the doorway of the smallest room of the house, gazing in at the picture in front of him. The room had drawings dotting the wall, some of princesses and unicorns while others had monsters that Katie had made up on her own; one of her bigger pictures that she displayed proudly, was a painted picture of Lance himself, as a prince of course. On the bed was the artist herself, brushing her brown hair out of her face as she drew a crayoned picture of what looked like a cross between a dog and a dragon.

‘Kitty Cat, guess who’s here?’

‘Lancie!’ the girl said jumping onto him, while he swung her round. 

‘Heya, little lady. Whatcha drawing?’

‘An Empie.’

‘Empie?’

‘Empie, they’re big, flying, lazer-zapping dogs that'll kill you if you get to close to them.’

‘Sounds scary.’

She nods in agreement, ‘Yup, but don’t worry because Princess Sophia is best friends with the Queen of the Empie after the Battle of the Poppy Kingdom, so now they do what she wants.’

‘That’s good.’

‘You know, she’s angry with Prince Lance, so I think they’re going after him,' Katie said, turning away from him and back to her drawing.

‘Why’s she angry with Prince Lance?’

‘It’s a secret.’

‘Right, well, I’ll tell Prince Lance to watch his back and if there’s anything he can do to make it up, you'll tell me, right Kittie Cat?’

‘Well there is one thing,’ she said smiling at Lance. ‘There’s a school trip to Bluebird Lake and Princess Sophia would really like it if Prince Lance could help out.’

‘You know, honey I think that Prince Lance has work,’ Katie looked upset at that. ‘But you know I’ll see if he can ask for the day off okay.’

‘You make sure he tries.’

 

***

 

After spending about an hour in the living room with Katie, helping her by drawing the backgrounds to her artworks, and Mia, who half watched them, half watched the TV. Lance decided to leave and start to get ready for his night with Julia. Some boys were a big believer in the idea that less is more in the hygiene front, while Lance maintains that if someone can smell your dick, they’re not likely to want to suck it. Each to their own he supposes.

Lance decides to wear a simple tight black top, with dark blue trousers and a cotton jumper over the top. He doubts it’s going to be T-shirt weather at 2 in the morning in mid-March, much as it pains him to wear a jumper, knowing how fit he looks with only the trousers and shirt on. He also decides against any eyeliner as he assumes that it won’t go well with the glitter that will most likely end up on his face. He picks up his phone and messages Julia:

>> Meet you at Spoons at 9? xx

<< You got it

>> See ya there xx

That means he has just enough to eat something and find out where his brothers were.

 

***

 

Julia arrives at ‘Spoons at 9:20, meaning that Lance was already on his second Jagerbomb. 

‘Looks like you’ve already started without me.’

‘Only a little. Hey, you wanna go half on a pitcher?’

‘You know it.’

Safe to say that when they got to Fever Pitch, there was a real risk of them not being let in for being too drunk. The bouncer gave both of them the ‘if you cause any trouble I’ll turn you into mincemeat’ look that bouncers always have perfected; but let them in none-the-less. When they arrived, it wasn’t as busy as it would be later on and there was a girl sitting in the corner advertising free glitter make-up. She smiled at them when they walked over.

‘What can I do for you two?’

Mia choose a white glitter streak over her collarbone, while Lance went for a blue streak across his cheekbone on his right side.

‘That’s a good choice for you,’ the girl said, ‘It really highlights your eyes.’

Then him and Julia entered the dancefloor.

Some grime music was playing that Lance had never heard, but clearly Julia had as she was singing along to it while doing some pretty kickass dance moves.

‘Jules, you’re cutting up the floor!’ Lance shouted at her.

‘What?’

'I said, "you're cutting up the floor"!'

'Lance, I can't hear you.'

‘Ugh, don’t worry!’

She seemed to get the message as she went back to ignoring him in favour of dancing. Lance danced a little but the music wasn’t really his thing and in all honesty the alcohol pulsing through his veins was ironically the only thing keeping him up and moving. 

‘Hey, do you want to get a drink?’

‘What?’

He moved a little closer. ‘Do you want to get a drink?’

‘No, I want to dance.’ She said moving their hips so that they were together and putting her arms around his neck. Apparently, having to coax him into getting with the rhythm didn’t stop her from being a great dancer as she continue to be just as mesmerising with him as she had a second ago. They stayed like that for a while, with Lance feeling a little dizzy from the movement that she was making them do, until all of a sudden, she detached from him and ran up to some girls that were across the room.

Lance couldn’t tell who they were, so he used this as an opportunity to collect his bearings.

‘Okay,’ Lance thought to himself. ‘This is your chance to woo her. You can dance, you just need to sober up a little. Come on Lance, you got this.’ He decided that the best way to sober up was to get a glass of water from the bar, while Julia talked to her friends.

‘One water please.’ He said to the bartended and looked across to find a girl staring at him. He smiled back.

It wasn’t like he wasn’t used to female attention (in fact he had better luck with women than he had ever had with men), but this girl was different. She was petite, with short hair and a mini-dress that showed off her... let's say, assets. Mia must have rubbed off on Lance because it was in fact her make-up that he first notice, with her wings being perfectly pointed and her red lipstick highlighting her pale skin tone; if Lance didn’t know any better he’d say she was a YouTube beauty guru. ‘As if one of them would hang around here,’ Lance thought bitterly, ‘no one interesting would step foot in a place like this.’

‘Hi,’ said the girl coming up to him, ‘I’m Lacy, saw you on the dancefloor. You and your girlfriend looked really hot. I wouldn’t mind getting in between you two, although I would take just one.’ She winked.

‘Uh huh.’ Lance said looking down at the water that had been placed in front of him and taking a drink.

A hand touched his back at the moment, and Lance turned around to find Julia. She wrapped her arms around his neck and whispering in his ear, ‘I’m going outside for a cig, she’s fit, you should totally go for it.’ Before kissing him on the cheek, turning around and walking towards the smoking exit.

The girl watched her go, and then turned her attention to Lance, ‘Come dance with me,' she said grabbing his hand, then she whispered in his ear, ‘You know she would never have to know.’

‘Uh huh,’ Lance said again.

‘Wow, you really need to sober up,’ said his subconscious as he was dragged to the floor by the girl, Lance thought her name was Lacy, maybe Lucy.

He put his arms around her waist and pulled her closer, which made her laugh and put her arms around his neck. ‘You know,’ She said, ‘I’ve always liked a dominant guy. A guy who sees what he wants and takes it, no matter the consequences.’

‘Mate, you’re in for disappointment with me then,’ his subconscious once again helpfully supplied.

She moved impossibly closer. ‘It’s not fair, you know, I’ve told you my name,’ Lance did not mention that he had already forgotten it, ‘But,' they were an inch apart, 'You have not told me yours.’

‘It’s Lance.’

‘Lance.’ Closer again, their noses were touching now, ‘I like it.’ Then she kissed him.

Lance felt like he was having an out of body experience, with his mind not being able to focus on what was happen. He was pretty sure his body was reacting to the kiss, however, as the girl moved her lips to his ear and purred.

‘Lance, if you can fuck as well as you kiss, I can understand kind of why your girlfriend stays with a cheating asshole.’

‘Sorry what?’ Lance said pulling away.

The girl smiled and kissed him again on his lips. ‘Nothing babe. I’m just going to use the toilets okay.’ Then she squeezed his ass and said, ‘Don’t go anywhere.’

‘Okay,’ Lance said, still slightly dazed by what was happening. His brain was still catching up and he wasn’t sure he was liking what was going on. Hadn’t he been trying to win over Julia? Prove he was boyfriend material? Well that had gone well. On top of that, a massive headache had started to form and he was starting to feel ill. 

'Perhaps Julia was right, and I do think to hard,' Lance pondered to himself. Whatever the case, Lance decided that the headache was the universe's way of telling him to go home.

Lance didn't bother to find Julia, instead he sent her a text, saying that he wasn’t feeling well and that he would see her tomorrow at work. Thankfully he didn’t start till 10. He had one last trip to the toilet, where he found the girl's red lipstick had stained his lips. He decided that enough was enough and started to stumble home, with the headache continuing to become more and more painful as he did.

**Author's Note:**

> As I said before, any criticism, is very much welcomed. If you see any spelling errors (which are the bane of my existence),  
> please don't hesitate to tell me.
> 
> <3


End file.
